OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS - Seneca Co., Ohio

WILLIAM H. ZEIS. Among the leading and successful farmer citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, William H. Zeis has long been one of the representative men. Since 1883 he has been a resident of Seneca township and has been all his life identified with the interests of Seneca county.
     The birth of Mr. Zeis was in Liberty township, in Seneca county, Dec. 24, 1838, and he was a son of Jacob and a grandson of Martin Zeis, the latter of whom was one of the pioneer settlers of Seneca county and one who was notable in its early enterprises. As early as 1816 Martin Zeis left Germany on a sailing vessel, bound for the United States. Three long months were spent on the Atlantic ocean, and the tired voyagers then made their way to Frederick county, Maryland, where they lived for eleven years, Mr. Zeis having brought his family with him. It was just at this date that the agricultural advantages which settlement in Ohio promised began to attract sturdy pioneers from other states, who saw in this opportunity a future provision for the large families which at that time were not unusual. Hither came grandfather Zeis and his ten children, the trip consuming a long time, on account of the poor roads, many of them almost impassable. Mr. Zeis located in Liberty township, Seneca county, entering here one hundred and sixty acres of land form the government, and here the remainder of his life was spent. By trade he was a shoemaker and he carried this on in connection with farming and became one of the leading citizens of his township. He was a man of great industry and was earnest in his desire to promote the advancement of his township. It was his personal effort which cut the first road through the forest from Shiloh church to Cromer Station, his land covering a part of the present site of the village of Cromer. With the assistance of his many sons he soon built a comfortable log cabin, established here a family which has ever since been one of respectability in the county.
     Jacob Zeis, who was the father of our subject, was born in Baden, Germany, and he accompanied his parents to America and was his father's helper in his early settlement in Seneca county. He married Abbie Craun for his first wife, and they had three children, the survivor being Martha, the wife of Thomas Guinn, a resident of Iowa; John M. and Jacob being deceased. The second marriage of Jacob Zeis was to Elizabeth Lauer, who was born in Wittenberg, Germany. She came to America at eighteen years of age and died in her sixty-second year. Fourteen children were born to this union, of which our subject was the oldest. The others were as follows: Lewis, deceased; Jacob of Clinton township; Christiana, deceased; Daniel, a private in the Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry, who died during the war; Rebecca, the widow of David Fought, of Seneca township; Lucinda, deceased; Theodore, deceased; Matilda deceased; Charles, a resident of Indiana; Truman, a resident of Hopewell township; Benjamin, a farmer of Liberty township; James, the farmer on the old homestead in Liberty township; and Leander, a resident of this township.
     After his first marriage Jacob Zeis bought eight acres of land in Liberty township and there he made his home during the continuance of his life. This farm is now the property of his son, James F. Zeis.
     The early life of William H. Zeis, of this biography, was spent on the old home farm in Liberty township. He embraced every educational opportunity within his reach, his advantages being limited. He recalls very distinctly the old log schoolhouse with its uncomfortable slab benches whereon the children of his day sat with aching backs, on account of ho supports being provided, while a scarcity of books was felt by almost all of the pupils. The teacher was usually partly paid by subscription and was expected to board around among the families. Many romances have been written in those days, but Mr. Zeis needs none of these, as he easily recalls them and is able to compare the chances which the children of today enjoy those offered to their forefathers.
     There was plenty of work to be done on the home farm and Mr. Zeis remained assisting his father until he was twenty-seven years of age. Then he married and bought sixty acres of land and for two years operated both that and his father's farm, moving then into Seneca township and operating a farm there for the two following years. Mr. Zeis then removed to his former home in Liberty township, where he made many substantial improvements and remained from 1870 to 1883, coming then to his present most desirable farm in Seneca township. Here Mr. Zeis owns one hundred and fifty-five acres in section 27, and has given his attention to general farming and stock-raising. He is well known in agricultural circles and his methods of farming and management of stock commend themselves to his neighbors as wise and productive of excellent results.
     Although the greater part of his life has been given to cultivating the soil, Mr. Zeis has had other interests, and has always arrayed himself on the side of law and order. In 1862 he became a member of the Home Guards and was with Company E, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Regiment, when it went, in 1864, to serve in the defense of the nation's capital. It is well-known fact in his locality that he is an uncompromising Republican.
     The first marriage of Mr. Zeis was to Miss Ellen Cromer, who was a daughter of Ezra Cromer, and the children of this union were as follows: Ira N., who is a practicing physician in Carey, Ohio; Daniel W. who is attending a dental college of Columbus, Ohio; and Elizabeth, who died in infancy. Mrs. Zeis died in 1872. The second marriage of Mr. Zeis was to Miss Sarah Cromer, who was a sister of his first wife, and the children of this marriage are as follows: Ezra E., Jesse W., and Lula L., all residing at home.
     Mr. Zeis is highly esteemed in his township as an honorable man and is known to be interested in matters of public moment, having always done his part to advance every worthy enterprise, looking to the agricultural development of this part of Seneca County.
     Ezra Cromer was born in Maryland, of German origin, and married, in Liberty township, Seneca county, Sarah Craun, a sister to Abbie Craun, the first wife of Jacob Zeis. His home adjoined the Zeis farm at Cromer station, which was located on his farm and named in his honor. He died there at sixty-eight years of age. His widow now resides with her daughter, Mrs. Zeis, aged eighty-six, well preserved. Mr. Cromer and wife were active in the Methodist Protestant church, in which he was a class-leader, and his life very much devoted to the growth and advancement of the church and of the moral upbuilding of the community.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Seneca County, Ohio - Publ. by Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 466

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